--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good writers touch life. The mediocre…" description: "\"“The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.”\" — Ray Bradbury" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg" --- # The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick… ![“The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg) > ““The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.”” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great writers capture life's depth; mediocre writers skim its surface. **In simple terms:** Good writers feel life; others barely touch it. Key Takeaway Seek depth in writing. Themes writing depth authenticity Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - journalism - teaching writing - personal reflection Key Concepts Literary criticism artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How can you deepen your observational detail? - What does “touching life” mean to you? A Different Perspective Surface-level work can miss profound insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writers/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-mediocre-400263/) [Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre/) [Mediocre Ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre-ones-1249018/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers Touch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-touch-823778/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-often-the-mediocre-ones-run-a-quick-hand/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-more-pores-the-more-truthfully-recorded-details-of-life-per-2/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The good writers touch life often.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-often/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Good writers touch life often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/good-writers-touch-life-often/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Scores only matter if theyre very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. -Portia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunger-games/scores-only-matter-if-theyre-very-good-no-one-pays-much-attention-to/) [Hunger Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunger-games/) > [What makes a nation great is not primarily its great men, but the stature of its innumerable mediocre ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/what-makes-a-nation-great-is-not-primarily-its-great-men-but-the/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [To run with the majority during the race of life is to be mediocre all of the time and wrong most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-smith/to-run-with-the-majority-during-the-race-of-life-is-to-be-mediocre/) [Len Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-smith/) > [Scores only matter if they’re very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/scores-only-matter-if-they-re-very-good-no-one-pays-much-attention-to/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [The difference between a remarkable life and a mediocre one is not nearly as large as you might imagine. Nope, we all pretty much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/the-difference-between-a-remarkable-life-and-a-mediocre-one-is-not/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [“Living your life mediocre way is like being satisfied with just a bowl of soup when you have been invited for a 5-course meal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayatri-gadre/living-your-life-mediocre-way-is-like-being-satisfied-with-just-a/) [Gayatri Gadre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayatri-gadre/) > [“The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-more-pores-the-more-truthfully-recorded-details-of-life-per/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“All great conductors are different. The mediocre ones are more or less the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mauceri/all-great-conductors-are-different-the-mediocre-ones-are-more-or-less/) [John Mauceri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mauceri/) > [I'd rather write one good book than ten mediocre ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-d-rather-write-one-good-book-than-ten-mediocre-ones/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [You don't set off in life to be mediocre. At least, I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-robertson/you-don-t-set-off-in-life-to-be-mediocre-at-least-i-don-t/) [Willie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-robertson/) > [There aren't enough people who are passionate with what they do. They're content just going through life being mediocre, being average. They don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-baldwin/there-aren-t-enough-people-who-are-passionate-with-what-they-do-they/) [Doug Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-baldwin/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More Good writers quotes > [You don't have to be a good person to be a good writer--history shows it's better if you're not--but you have to understand your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abrahams/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-good-person-to-be-a-good-writer-history-shows/) [Peter Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abrahams/) > [I'm not famous for my back story investigations; I'm lucky that I work with good writers and it's usually in the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-not-famous-for-my-back-story-investigations-i-m-lucky-that-i-work/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [So many interviews, even ones that I consider really intelligent and good writers, will do the, like, 'Oh, you're not taking your clothes off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/so-many-interviews-even-ones-that-i-consider-really-intelligent-and/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [What makes a good writer of history is a guy who is suspicious. Suspicion marks the real difference between the man who wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/what-makes-a-good-writer-of-history-is-a-guy-who-is-suspicious/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [My grandfather had been a newspaper reporter, as was my uncle. They were pretty good writers and so I thought maybe somewhere down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-hackman/my-grandfather-had-been-a-newspaper-reporter-as-was-my-uncle-they/) [Gene Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-hackman/) > [Good writers hate bad writing but hating bad writing doesn’t make you good. Writing badly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/good-writers-hate-bad-writing-but-hating-bad-writing-doesn-t-make-you/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [No theoretician, no writer on art, however interesting he or she might be, could be as interesting as Picasso. A good writer on art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/no-theoretician-no-writer-on-art-however-interesting-he-or-she-might/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [A good writer does not write as people write, but as he writes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/a-good-writer-does-not-write-as-people-write-but-as-he-writes/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [You can't be a good writer without being a good thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-can-t-be-a-good-writer-without-being-a-good-thinker/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“Most good writers are good psychologists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ballon/most-good-writers-are-good-psychologists/) [Rachel Ballon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ballon/) > [Well, you know when people are no good at anything else they become writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/well-you-know-when-people-are-no-good-at-anything-else-they-become/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/good-writers-are-those-who-keep-the-language-efficient-that-is-to-say/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I always think that good writers should be growing up on the brink of death - it really lets them see mortality very clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-always-think-that-good-writers-should-be-growing-up-on-the-brink-of/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [ Neil \[Gaiman, creator of the comic Sandman, featuring the Amos-based character Delirium\] believes that faeries have gone beyond cool. They've transcended cool. I just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/neil-gaiman-creator-of-the-comic-sandman-featuring-the-amos-based/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [Usually people who do bad things make good writers.I did a lot of bad things, which is why my novels are interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakucho-setouchi/usually-people-who-do-bad-things-make-good-writers-i-did-a-lot-of-bad/) [Jakucho Setouchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakucho-setouchi/) [Browse all 203 Good writers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Bradbury" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre-ones-run-a-quick-hand-over/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good writers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre-ones-run-a-quick-hand-over/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/ray-bradbury-75_good-writers_the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre_3026524.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The good writers touch life. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.” — Ray Bradbury", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ray Bradbury", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The good writers touch life. The...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre-ones-run-a-quick-hand-over/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-good-writers-touch-life-the-mediocre-ones-run-a-quick-hand-over/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```